Hidradenitis suppurativa: Overview

What is hidradenitis suppurativa?

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a skin condition that causes painful lumps deep in the skin. These lumps usually develop on parts of the body where skin touches skin like the armpits, inner thighs, and groin area. Dermatologists are the doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating this condition.

Is hidradenitis suppurativa contagious?

No, hidradenitis suppurativa is not contagious. You cannot catch this skin condition from someone. If you touch hidradenitis suppurativa on someone’s skin, it will not spread to you.

Can hidradenitis suppurativa look like boils that keep coming back?

Yes, if you get boil-like lumps often and repeatedly, you could have a skin condition called hidradenitis suppurativa. These lumps often look like boils that develop in the armpits, groin, buttocks, or under their breasts. While these are common places for the boil-like lumps to develop if you have hidradenitis suppurativa, these lumps can appear elsewhere.

Your dermatologist knows how to diagnose and treat this condition, so you can get relief and reduce new boil-like lumps.

During their first appointment with a dermatologist, patients with hidradenitis suppurativa often say they have pimples, sores, or boils in their armpits or groin.

Many people live with hidradenitis suppurativa for years before getting diagnosed

Also called acne inversa, this skin condition can look like pimples and acne cysts. It’s not acne, though. Still, when it first appears, some people think that they have pimples in their armpit, on their inner thighs, or in their groin area.

Without treatment, this skin condition can worsen. Abscesses, which are pockets of pus, can develop. When an abscess breaks open, pus and blood leak out. As the abscess heals, a scar usually develops.

You may develop more abscesses in the same area. If the abscesses and scars continue to appear, pus-filled tunnels can form under the skin.

Getting medical treatment from a dermatologist before hidradenitis suppurativa worsens can reduce flare-ups and help prevent this condition from becoming painful.

When to make an appointment to see a dermatologist 

If you have any of the following and have not seen a dermatologist, make an appointment:

• Pimples, sores, or a lump in your armpit or thigh

• Boils on your thigh or in the armpit

• Cysts in your groin

Because you may not have heard of this skin condition and it can look like acne, boils, and sores, it can be difficult to know what to do. You’re not alone. When seeing a dermatologist for the first time, many patients describe the reason for their visit as having boils, pimples, or cysts.

Dermatologists specialize in diagnosing and treating the skin and can tell you whether you have hidradenitis suppurativa.

Many people live with this condition for years before getting diagnosed. Going years without treatment allows the condition to worsen. It may lead to problems sitting or walking if lesions develop on your thighs, groin, or buttocks. If you have hidradenitis suppurativa in your armpits, you can have difficulty reaching for things. These difficulties develop when scars form, which can limit how far you can stretch or bend.

People who go undiagnosed for years may live with intense pain. They can develop wounds that are slow to heal or fail to heal.

To get relief from the pain and care for their wounds, they often go to the emergency room. According to a study conducted in Canada, some people return to the emergency room 10 or more times before getting diagnosed. That’s why it’s important to see a board-certified dermatologist.

Is hidradenitis suppurativa a type of cancer, acne, or sexually transmitted infection?  

Hidradenitis suppurativa is:

• NOT a type of cancer

• NOT acne

• NOT a sexually transmitted infection (STI)

• NOT caused by unclean skin

• NOT contagious

Who is more likely to get hidradenitis suppurativa?  

If you live in the United States and are an African American or biracial woman between 30 and 39 years of age, you have a higher risk of developing hidradenitis suppurativa than do other Americans.

Research shows African Americans develop this disease more often than people of other races. In a 2017 study, researchers found that 296 of 100,000 African Americans (0.3%) had hidradenitis suppurativa.

Other studies have found that this condition is more common in women than men. Research shows that at least three times as many women as men develop hidradenitis suppurativa.

Can hidradenitis suppurativa kill you?  

Hidradenitis suppurativa is rarely deadly. The only time it might become life threatening is when someone develops a serious infection, which is rare. The right treatment and self-care for hidradenitis suppurativa can help prevent a life-threatening infection.

Is there a cure for hidradenitis suppurativa? 

Hidradenitis suppurativa cannot be cured, but treatment can:

• Help to prevent new lumps, abscesses, and other lesions from forming

• Treat existing lumps, abscesses, and other lesions

• Get rid of an infection

• Alleviate pain

When the above happens, hidradenitis suppurativa does not have to stop you from living the life you want to live.

Research has led to many treatment advances

Breakthroughs in research have led to a better understanding of this disease and better treatment. Today, many patients receive a treatment plan customized to their needs. A treatment plan may include:

• A skin care plan

• Medication

• A procedure that can be performed in your dermatologist’s office, such as draining or removing a painful lump

• Treatment for infection

• Wound care

• Pain control

• Self-care tips

What can I expect when I see a dermatologist for hidradenitis suppurativa? 

Dermatologists are the doctors who often diagnose and treat hidradenitis suppurativa.

To a dermatologist’s trained eye, there are differences between hidradenitis suppurativa and other conditions like acne, boils, and sexually transmitted infections. Dermatologists receive the training needed to spot these differences.

If you have hidradenitis suppurativa, you’ll receive a treatment plan tailored to your needs and your dermatologist will watch your health closely. People who have this condition are more likely to develop some health conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease.

For this reason, dermatologists often work closely with other doctors. Doing so helps you get the care you need.

Your dermatologist can also watch for signs of skin cancer on your skin. Some people who have had deep, painful hidradenitis suppurativa lesions for years have a higher risk of developing a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.

For people with hidradenitis suppurativa, this skin cancer tends to develop in unexpected places like around the anus or elsewhere in the groin area.

Dermatologists are skin cancer specialists, so they can spot signs of skin cancer early. Caught early, skin cancer is highly treatable.

If you think that you may have this skin condition, you’ll find pictures of what it can look like and learn more about symptoms at: Hidradenitis suppurativa: Signs and symptoms.

Image
Getty Images

References
Bowers J. “Tailor-made care.” Dermatol World. 2020;30(7);114-9.

Cartron A, Driscoll MS. “Comorbidities of hidradenitis suppurativa: A review of the literature.” Int J Womens Dermatol. 2019 Jul 2;5(5):330-4.

Garg A, Kirby JS, et al. “Sex- and age-adjusted population analysis of prevalence estimates for hidradenitis suppurativa in the United States.” JAMA Dermatol. 2017;153(8):760-4.

Garg A, Neuren E, et al. “Evaluating patients’ unmet needs in hidradenitis suppurativa: Results from the Global Survey Of Impact and Healthcare Needs (VOICE) Project.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2020;82:366-76.

Lee EY, Alhusayen R, et al. “What is hidradenitis suppurativa?” Can Fam Physician. 2017;Feb;63(2):114-120.

Lyons AB, Shabeeb N, et al. “Emerging medical treatments for hidradenitis suppurativa.” J Am Acad Dermatol 2020;83:554-62.

Naik HB, Yeung H, et al. “Joint American Academy of Dermatology-Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation guidelines of care for the management of hidradenitis suppurativa.” J Am Acad Dermatol. Published online Oct 20, 2026.

Narla S, Price KN, et al. “Proceeding report of the Fourth Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances 2019.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;Jan;84(1):120-9.

Saunte DML, Jemec GBE, et al. “Hidradenitis suppurativa: Advances in diagnosis and Treatment.” JAMA. 2017;318(20):2019-32.

Written by:
Paula Ludmann, MS

Reviewed by:
Jennifer Adams, MD, DTM&H, FAAD
Steven Daveluy, MD, FAAD
Kelley Redbord, MD, FAAD
Abigail Waldman, MD, FAAD

Last updated: 10/20/26